From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Texas Tech safety Cole Wisniewski.
NO. 5 COLE WISNIEWSKI/S/TEXAS TECH – 6033, 214 POUNDS (SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Cole Wisniewski 6033/214 N/A N/A N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A
THE GOOD
– Great size, build for the position
– Comfortable working in the box; good eyes to find the football consistently
– Sound, physical tackler; very few misses on tape
– Former linebacker whose instincts show up against the run; decisive attacking downhill with good angles in pursuit
– Has good range in the secondary; able to turn and run and track the football
– Good hand-eye coordinator to break up passes downfield
– Able to play anywhere on the field defensively; smart player with good feel for role snap to snap
THE BAD
– Lengthy injury history, particularly with his foot, which caused him to miss entire 2024 season
– Wasn’t asked to consistently handle deep safety role at Texas Tech; questions about long speed downfield
– Physical defender that might be too grabby for NFL level in coverage
– Wasn’t able to finish off plays with turnovers in one year at Texas Tech; couple of dropped INT opportunities
– Just one year of competition at FBS level; just two full seasons at safety, too
STATS
2025 stats: played in 14 games and finished with 78 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, six passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery
– Named All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2025
– Spent five seasons at North Dakota State, playing in 47 games with 19 career starts
– Recorded 194 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, eight interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery at NDSU
– Won 2021 and 2024 national championship with Bison
INJURY HISTORY
– Missed entire 2024 season with a foot injury suffered in summer workouts, leading to redshirt year
– Missed one game in 2023 with a concussion
– Sat out first seven games of 2022 season with undisclosed injury before returning to play final eight games of the season
BACKGROUND
– Born on March 9
– Grew up in Sparta, Wisconsin, where he started three years that played QB and safety in high school
– Played basketball and ran track and field in high school; captain of football and basketball teams
– Former 2-star prospect that chose North Dakota State over Air Force, Navy, Northern Illinois, Wyoming and a number of Ivy League Schools
– Started out as a linebacker at North Dakota State, earned a starting role in 2021 at the position
– Transitioned to safety in 2023 and had an FCS All-American season with eight interceptions
– Graduated from NDSU with a degree in business administration
– Married his wife, Keely, in September 2023
TAPE BREAKDOWN
On a star-studded defense at Texas Tech highlighted by the elite-level talent in the front seven, safety Cole Wisniewski, a transfer from North Dakota State for the 2025 season, was quietly a rock for the Red Raiders’ defense that was one of nation’s best.
A former linebacker at NDSU, Wisniewski moved to safety ahead of the 2023 season and put together an FCS All-American season, recording eight interceptions for the Bison. His stock was set to skyrocket after that, but a foot injury in the summer of 2024 wiped out his entire season, leading to a redshirt and a transfer to Texas Tech.
That move to Lubbock paid off for Wisniewski as it earned him a trip to the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he was one of the best defenders all week long. With his versatility at the safety position and his comfort in the box as a former linebacker, he should be able to carve out a role at the next level.
Wisniewski is at his best as a run defender. That’s not a surprise, considering he’s a former linebacker. He reads things quickly and attacks downhill efficiently with good routes to the ball carrier. Once he gets there, he’s finishing the play.
He can also cover a lot of ground defending the run, whether it’s in the box or from a two-high look. Texas Tech rarely ran a single-high safety look, so there’s not a ton of tape there for him from that aspect. But coming downhill against the run is his strong suit.
When he’s in the box, he plays like a true linebacker, too. With some of his reps on film within the box, working around blocks and making stops against the run, it makes me wonder if he’s capable of sliding back down to linebacker full time. Especially considering questions about his speed and overall feel in coverage at the safety position.
This rep against Arizona State was a good one. He’s able to read it quickly, attacks, slips through a gap and has good form to wrap and finish. You don’t see many safeties doing that against the run.
He did here against Arizona State, too.
Wisniewski has really good range; there’s no denying that. His eyes and his ability to diagnose quickly in the box allowed him to thrive last season with the Red Raiders. This is a tough play for a linebacker to make, considering the speed and the space that the Arizona State receiver is working with.
But Wisniewski is moving laterally at the snap, takes a great angle and finishes with force at the point of contact.
One last rep against the run here with Wisniewski.
I can’t talk up his eyes and ability to diagnose enough. He reads this read-option from BYU perfectly, giving himself the opportunity to get outside and set the edge. In the process, if you watch the slot receiver, he wrecks his angle to try and get a hat on him.
That gives Wisniewski a free and clear shot at the quarterback, who erroneously tries to hurdle and gets punished for it.
In coverage, Wisniewski flashed the ability to get his hands on the football. He just didn’t finish at Texas Tech.
This is good range and length here from the safety. He has a good feel for what Arizona State is attempting to do here with the receiver and he bails into the deep half at the snap. Wisniewski reads the play the whole way, times his jump perfectly and uses every inch of his frame to make a play on the ball.
He just doesn’t come down with what should have been an interception. If he can finish those at the next level, look out.
Wisniewski is at his best in coverage around the line of scrimmage on those quick hitters.
Here in the Shrine Bowl lined up in the slot, he plays this out route from Georgia Tech’s Eric Rivers perfectly, utilizing some physicality to play through and break up the pass at the goal line.
CONCLUSION
Overall, I had my eyes on Cole Wisniewski entering the Shrine Bowl, and he didn’t disappoint down there. It led to me wanting to study his tape from the season, and he looks like a guy who can handle a versatile role at the next level as a two-high safety. He’s someone who can handle box reps, while providing decent work in coverage.
At worst, he projects as a high-level special teams piece and an early-down defender. I wouldn’t rule out a move to linebacker either, considering he started his collegiate career at the position and has good size and length to handle a move back down to the position.
He reminds me a lot of Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship, another former Shrine Bowl safety.
NFL Projection: Mid Day 3
Steelers Depot Grade: 7.5 (Spot Starter)
Grade Range: 7.2-8.4
Games Watched: Utah (2025), Kansas (2025), Arizona State (2025), Oklahoma State (2025), Kansas State (2025), BYU (2025), UCF (2025)
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